ECCLESIASTICAL INSURANCE, considered one of the principal insurers for Church of England bodies, is not going to take part in the National Redress Scheme for victims of church-based abuse, it was confirmed this week.
A General Synod briefing paper published last Friday indicated that “considered one of the insurers serving most of the Church of England’s local bodies” had withdrawn from participation within the scheme.
On Wednesday, a spokesperson for Ecclesiastical Insurance confirmed the choice, saying that a redress scheme “falls outside of the insurance contractual obligations to parishes and churches. We have given the Church’s request for us to take part in its proposed redress scheme serious consideration and engagement.
“However, there are a mix of legal and industrial the reason why this is amazingly difficult and sophisticated for any insurer, and we’re subsequently unable to take part in the scheme. We will proceed to honour our obligations to our policyholders.”
There isn’t any debate on the scheme scheduled for the Synod’s sessions, nevertheless it was debated twice last yr (Synod, 14 July and 24 November 2023).
In these debates, concerns in regards to the burden that the scheme might place on parishes were raised, along with queries in regards to the insurance implications of any claims.
A spokesperson for the Redress Project Board said on Tuesday that the board was “dissatisfied that one insurer has decided to not contribute to the really helpful funding approach for the National Redress Scheme. We are already exploring alternative funding models and speaking with survivors and others to assist us revise our approach.
“The Redress Project Board stays committed to making sure that local bodies are usually not asked to contribute greater than the Scheme determines they’ll afford, and any alternative funding approach will factor this in. We recognise that Scheme funding is essential to victims and survivors of Church-related abuse, in addition to the broader Church. We will announce details about our agreed approach soon.”
